Internal-combustion engine.



S. S. SUTTON.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13,1913. 1,09 1,983. Patented Mar. 31, 1914.

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aktouwqo SIMON S. QUTTOQI, OF ELDORADO, ILLINOIS.

rm'n'nmn-oommssrron ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 31, 1914i.

Application filed March 13, 1913. Serial No. 754,074.

useful Improvements in Internal-Combust-ion Engines; and I do declare theiollowmg to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invent ion relates to improvements in rotary internal combustion engines.

One object of the invention is to provide ail-engine of this character in which the cylinders revolve around the axis or shaft. ot the engine and are kept cool by their movement through the air. thus dispensing with the use of any cooling agency or apparatus.

Another object is to provide an internal combustion engine which will operate continuously without jerking and which may be readily reversed and run in either direc' tion.

A further object is to provide a rotary engine of the character described, the cylinders of which have but one valve which serves for both theinlet and exhaust and is provided with automatically operated means for opening and closing the same at the roper time.

:Still another objectis to provide a rotary internal combustion engine which will be simple, strong and durable in construction, efficient and reliable in operation and 'which may be employed for operating all kinds of motor and traction vehicles as well as for stationary work.

it-h these and other-objects in view, the invention consists of certain'novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

,In the accompanying-drawings: Figure 1 is a side'view of my improved rotary internal combustion engine, the supporting means thereof being omitted; Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the engine taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig.

. 3 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the position the valve operating cams, valves, and pistons of the various cylinders assume on one of the two revolutions produced by each explosion in the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a similan, view showing the position the valve operating cams, valves and pistons assume on the. second revolutionfllig. 5 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2 illustrating the construction and arrangement of the valve operating mechanism. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the inner side of the annular fuel supply and exhaust. chamber of the engine.

By reference to the accompanying drawmgs, it; 'will be seen that my improved rotary internal combustion engine comprises two wheel-like cylinder supporting disks 1 and 2 each of which comprises a hub 33, radially disposed spokes 4 and flat rims 5. The wheels 1 and 2 are spaced a suitable d stance apart and are connected at their rims by a series of radially disposed cylinders G, 6, (3" and (3 of which there may be anv desired number, four or" said cylinders being shown in the present instance. In the connection between the outer ends of the cylinders and the rim 5 of the wheel 2 are formed combined inlet and discharge ports 7 which con'imunicate with ports 8 in the rim of the whe -l as shown. At a suitable position in each of .the ports 7 is formed a valve seat 9 with which is engaged a valve 10 the stem of which projects through the connection of the cylinder and has arranged thereon a coiled spring 11 whereby the valve is closed and yieldingly held in a closed position.

Suitably supported and held in gas and fluid-tight engagement with the outer side of the rim 5 of the wheel 2 is a channeled ring 19. divided at diametrically opposite points by partitions 13 into semi-circular compartments 14 and 15 one ofwhich when the engine is running in one direction serves as an inlet or supply compartment and the other as an exhaust compartment. When the engine is running in a reverse direction the exhaust compartment serves as an inlet compartment and the inlet compartmentas an exhaust compartment as will be readily understood. are connected near one end with" a transverse fuel supply tube 16 and near their opposite ends with a transverse exhausttube 17. Connected with the supply tube 16 IS a fuel supply pipe where the pipe ranged a controlling valve 19 whereby the fuel may be directed into either the com-- direc not. in which the engine is running.

The compartments 14. and 15 18 and m the tube 16 18 joins the same is ar-- the exhaust gases therefrom according to' the direction in which the engine is running, said valves 19 and' 21 thusproviding for the reversal of the engine or the running thereof in either direction. Thus it will be seen that as the wheels 1 and 2 revolve and carry thecylinders around, fresh supplies of fuel will be taken into thecylinders through the ports 7 and the ports 8 in the rim of the wheel 2, assaid ports are carried over the supply side or com-partment of the ring 12 while burnt gases will be discharged from/the cylinders when the ports thereof are carried over the exhaust side 01 compartment.

The hub 3 of the wheel 1 is revolubly mounted on a stationary crank shaft 22 which in turn is fixedly mounted in any suitable manner in the supporting frame. of the engine. In the hub 3 of the wheel 2 of the engine is fixed the inner end of a drive shaft 23 and in said inner end is formed a socket adapted to receive a bearing pin 24 mounted on the inner end of the crank shaft 22 in line with the center thereof as shown. The inner end of the crank shaft 22 is preferably detachably secured to the crank by a screw or other suitable fastening means 25 whereby this end of the crankshaft may be re moved to permit the engagement of the piston operating mechanism with the crank.

Engaged respectively with the cylinders 6, 6, 6 and 6", are pistons 26, 26%, 26", and 26, having pivotally connected thereto piston rods 27, 27 27*, and 27 which (except the piston rod 27 are pivotally connected to wrist pins 28 arranged on a piston opeiating disk 29 which is revolubly mounted on the crank. The piston rod 27 is rigidly'secured at its inner end to a boss 30 formed on one side of the disk 29. The fixed connection of v the piston rod 27 with the disk 29 operates said disk or revol es the same on the crank while the wheels 1 and 2 of the engine and the cylinders are being revolved.

Revolubly-rnounted on one side of each of the cylinders of the engine is a combined sprocket gear 31 and valve operating cam or eccentric 32. The gears 31 are connected by an endless sprocket chain 33 which passes around the outer sides of these gears and is engaged with asprocket pinion 34 fixed on the finger 24: forming the inner end of the stationary crank shaft 22. The engagement of the sprocket chain 33 with the fixed sprocket pinion 34: will cause the chain to revolvc the gears 31 and cams 32 as the latter are carried around by the revolving movement of the wheels 1 and 2 and the cylinders carried thereby, thus causing the cams or eccentrics 32 to open the valves 9 at the proper time. The ends of the valve stems 1O bear on the outer surface of the cams or eccentrics 32 which are so shaped and arranged with respect to the movement of the cylinder that the valves will be opened and permitted to absent the proper time for admitting fuel to and exhausting the burnt gases from the cylinder's. It will be noted that the sprocket gears 31 are twice the diameter of the sprocket pinion 3 so that-the wheels 1 and O 2 make two complete revolutions while the eccentrics 32 are making one revolution. It will be seen that the valves of the cylinders will beheldopen during one revolution of the wheels and cylinders and held closed during the next revolution of the-wheels and cylinders, It will also be noted that during one half of the revolution in which the valves are open the ports of the cylinders communicate with the exhaust compartment 15 of the chamber 12 and on the other half of this revolution, said ports communicate with the intake or supply compartment 14 of the chamber 12. During this revolution of the wheels and cylinders the pistons in the cylinders which are exhausting are being forced toward the outer ends of the cylinders thereby driving the burnt gases out of the latter and into the exhaust chamber 15, while the pistons in the cylinders which are taking in gas are being drawn toward the inner ends of the cylinders, thus creating a suction in the latter which will draw in a full supply of gas from thesupply compartment 14 during this half of the revolution. On the first half of the other revolution of the wheels and cylinders wherein the valves are closed the pistons are being again forced outwardly, thereby compressing the fresh charge of fuel which has been drawn into the cylinders on the last half of the previousrevolution so that when the cylinders reach the end of the first half of the second revolution the pistons have been projected to their greatest extent and the charge of gas fully compressed. At this point the explosion occurs which drives the pistons back into the cylinders and produces the working stroke of the engine or the stroke which revolves the wheels 1 and 2 and the cylinders carried thereby. Each of the cylinders is provided in its outer end with a spark plug 33 which is connected with any suitable sparking and timing mechanism to producea spark in the cylinders at the roper time. Ti

e drive shaft 23 of the engine may be provided with a belt pulley or any other suitable means from which power may be transmitted from the engine to the parts driven thereby.

From the foregoing-description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invenmenses quiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to Without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is: i

1. In a rotary engine of the character described, a stationary crank shaft, a pair of wheels revolubly mounted about the axis of said shaft, a series of cylinders carried by said wheels and having therein combined inlet and exhaust ports opening through one of said wheels, a stationary channeled ring having its open side in fluid-tight engagement with the wheel through which the ports open, said ring being divided into supply and exhaust compartments with which the ports are successively brought into engagement, fuel supply and exhaust tubes con nected with said supply and exhaust compartn'ients, pipes connected with said tubes, valves in said tubes and pipes whereby the latter may be connected with either the supply or exhaust compartments, pistons slidably mounted in said cylinders and having an operative connection with the crank of said shaft, and valves to open and close the ports in said cylinders.

2. In a rotary engine of the character described, a stationary crank shaft having a crank arm at its'inner end and a crank pin projecting from the arm, a second crank arm secured to the inner end of said crank pin and standing in alinement with said shaft, a wheel rotatably mounted on theylatter, a

driving shaft alined with the first-named shaft, a second wheel fast on this shaft, cyl- 1 inders secured between and rigidly connect ing said wheels and having intake and exhaust, ports opening through one of said wheels, and controlling valves for said ports; combined with a fixed ring having channels with which said ports register, a disk mounted on said crank pin, and piston rods connected at their'inner ends to said disk and connected at their outer ends to the pistons in the cylinders.

3. In a rotary-engine of the character described, a stationary crank shaft having a crank arm at its inner end and a crank pin projecting from the arm, a second crank arm detachably secured to the inner end of said crank pin and having a bearing pin standing in alinement with said shaft, a wheel rotatably mounted on the latter, a driving shaft alined with the first-named shaft, a second Wheel fast on this shaft, the latter having a socket adapted to receive said bearing pin, cylinders secured between and rigidly'connecting said wheels and having intake and exhaust ports opening through one of said wheels, and controlling valves for said'ports; combined with a fixed 'ringhaving channels with which said ports'register, a disk rotatably mounted on said crank pin, and piston rodsconnected at their inner ends to said.

disk and connected at their outer ends to the pistons in the cylinders.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set vmy hand in presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

' SIMON S. SUTTON.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH BASINGER, W. D. UPOHURCH. 

